Blackwell Parish Council shall be known as the “Council” for the purposes of this document.

The accommodation available at the Community Centre comprises:

                                                                                                                      Capacity

           The Whole Building                                                                            250

The hirer shall be 18 years of age or over and for the purposes of these conditions shall be the “responsible person”.

1.        The hirer shall be responsible for and ensure:

·      That the conditions of hire are observed by those attending the function. Prior to any booking the hirer will be required to sign the booking form indicating acceptance and understanding of these conditions, including occupancy limits.

·      That the premises shall be used for the purpose specified on the booking form.

·      That the Hirer (or person nominated by the hirer) remains on the premises during the entire time that the centre has been booked. until the caretaker arrives and carries out a check of the building, she and the hirer are happy with the condition in which the hall has been left, and the hall is locked and secured. The hirer is responsible for the cost of making good any damage to the hall and its contents (including spillages and vomiting). If the hirer needs to vacate the building for a period of time during the booking (for example, after setting up for a party at the start of the hire, wanting to go home to get changed, and then coming back for the party in the evening), the timing of thus would need to be agreed two weeks in advance so a caretaker can be booked to lock and unlock, and there will be an additional caretaker call-out charge of £16.

·      That any excessive waste including food is bagged and removed from the community centre to the outside bins. All pots washed and put away, any breakages reported to caretaker immediately.

·      That, in case of fire, a register of attendees is kept, all those attending the function are aware of emergency exits (including exterior gates) and that these are not obstructed, and that the fire evacuation procedures are followed by all persons present. Please see attached information on fire procedures.

·      That a fully charged mobile phone be brought to the centre by the hirer or member of the party/group in case of emergency whilst the booking is taking place e.g. fire, gas leaks, medical emergency etc.

·      That no unauthorised persons are allowed to gain access to the premises.

·      That no unauthorised or illegal substances including unauthorised alcohol are brought onto the premises and no alcohol is consumed by, or given to persons under 18 years of age, under any circumstances.

·      If the venues is being booked to put on an event that is open to the public, relevant legislation must be adhered to. For an examples on what needs to be considered, visit the Government website for guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/can-do-guide-for-organisers-of-voluntary-events/the-can-do-guide-to-organising-and-running-voluntary-and-community-events

·      Party Bookings where a Bar has been booked, no Drinks, Alcoholic, Hot Drinks or Soft Drinks may be brought into the Hall for consumption or sale. All drinks consumed at the event must be purchased over the Bar.

·      If a bar is required at Newton Community Centre, there needs to be a minimum of 80 guests. Please be aware that the bar operates out of the kitchen, which means that whilst the bar is in operation, there will be no access to the kitchen.

·      That nobody smokes or vapes on the premises, to comply with current legislation.

·      That there are no naked flame used e.g. matches, candles, sparklers. Barbeques are only undertaken by professional caterers.

·      That the laws relating to gaming, betting and lotteries are not contravened.

·      That any electrical appliances brought by the hirer and/or entertainer/caterer to the premises shall be in good working order, PAT Tested and used in a responsible manner. No deep fat fryers are allowed

·      That any entertainer / DJ / bouncy castle / caterer etc. have the relevant insurances

·      That no dogs (except guide dogs) are brought into the hall, without permission

·      That all relevant food health and hygiene legislation if preparing, serving or selling food on the premises are observed.

·      That if the hirer requires the use of tables and chairs, they are responsible for taking these out and returning them in a clean state to the cupboard. The same applies to any other Community Centre resources such as crockery used by the hirer.

·      Users have the responsibility for managing health and safety risks, as far as reasonably practicable, arising from their own activities when on the premises.

·      That any structured activities for children under eight years of age comply with the provisions of The Children’s Act 1989, and that only persons who have been DBS checked have access to the children.

·      That no privately owned play equipment held at the community centre on behalf of its owners e.g. Toddler Groups etc; is used without prior arrangement and consent.

-     That all children attending an event must be supervised at all times, both in the building and on the grounds of the Community Centre. Children should also be supervised to ensure that they are not causing any disruption to the neighbours or neighbouring buildings of the community centre.

·      The use of Glitter, including Glitter Bombs/Balloons/Guns are not permitted.

2.         Failure to make full payment for hiring the centre at least 1 week prior to the date of hire may result in the   cancellation of that booking.

A Cleaning Bond of £20 for small bookings, children’s parties etc., or £100 for events with a bar booking will be required in the form of a cheque or cash, before the booking takes place. This is to safeguard against any damage which may occur whilst on the premises, and the premises not being vacated by the agreed time.

           This will be returned, providing everything is found to be in order and you have fully complied with the terms and conditions of hire. If this is not the case, the Bond will be retained by the Council.

            3.         The Community Centre may be hired during the following hours:-

Monday to Sunday - 8 am to midnight. Any bar and disco shall end at 11.30pm, premises to be empty by midnight (except New Years Eve when the building must be empty by 12.30am)

The centre is closed on Bank Holidays and at Christmas.

4.         Failure to vacate the premises by the time specified on the booking form will result in retention of the Bond. Failure to clear the premises of any equipment at the conclusion of a letting may incur an additional charge at the discretion of the Council.

5.         If the hirer wishes to cancel the booking after any payment has been made and the Council is unable to replace the booking, the question of refunding the payment shall be at the discretion of the Council. The £14 minimum deposit will be retained in all cases. Cancellations which are less than 3 working days before the hire date will be fully charged for by the Council and paid for by the hirer.

6.        The Council do not accept liability for loss or damage to any personal effects left on the premises.

7.        No tape or drawing pins shall be used when putting up notices or posters except on the notice board. Hirers should also be mindful of the decorations used when decorating an event. Biodegradable confetti/glitter etc should be used where possible and all decorations should be cleared away as part of the cleaning process. Any significant decorations left that incurs extra cleaning by staff, may require part or all of the bond to be kept to subsidise this.

8.         The Council reserves the right to vary the hire charges and the conditions of hire.

9.         In order that disruption to local residents is kept to a minimum, hirers are asked to ensure that the minimum of noise is made on arrival and departure.

10.      The Council reserve the right to cancel any hiring in the event of the Centre being required for use as a Polling Station for a Parliamentary, European or Local Government election or bye-election, in which case the Hirer shall be entitled to a refund of any deposit already paid.

11.      Under Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and related statutory guidance, the Council must have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. This is known as the Prevent Duty. In complying with the Prevent Duty, Councils are required to ensure that publicly-owned venues and resources do not provide a platform for extremists and are not used to disseminate extremist views.

           The Government have defined extremism as: “vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs”. Also included in our definition of extremism are calls for the death of members of our armed forces.

           Therefore, the hirer shall not use any local authority resources to promote violent and/or non-violent extremist views. This applies to speakers in person or those using any form of online platform, any pre-recorded video footage, or any speakers added to an event agenda after the initial booking.

There is CCTV installed at the community centre.

INFORMATION

Any complaints relating to the hire of the Community Centre should be made initially to the Caretaker. If the matter is not resolved, complaints should be made in writing to:

Kate Poynter

Parish Clerk

Blackwell Parish Council

Hilcote Community Centre

544 New Street

Hilcote

Alfreton

Derbyshire

DE55 5HU

Phone number: 01773 580002